Lopey
Lopey is the brother of A_E, mate of Blazey and pack advisor to the Fire Eagles. He is father to seven pups: Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Jean, Scott, Rocky, and Mist, and has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren within the pack in addition to his numerous nieces and nephews. Like his brother, Lopey was born and raised as a domestic lupe. Abandoned by their first owners, the brothers were rescued and reunited by a human named Chris. They lived their young lives in her backyard, where they were introduced to their mates and had their first litters. After this point, the brothers decided that their families required more room, and journeyed far into the wilderness to make their home. Lopey's Powers of the Mind Though he was named for his shambling gait, Lopey's most distinctive feature is his powerful abilities as a psychic. He can see deeply into the minds of those around him, and it's impossible for any creature to approach him without his awareness. There is a scant handful of lupes whose minds are impenetrable to him; everyone else is an open book. Lopey's mental prowess was put to good use during the Raid and put a definitive stop to the fighting. The war was not without its casualties, however, and Blazey numbered among the dead lost during the fight. Following the Raid, a troubled Lopey began to wander, ranging far and wide before his eventual peaceful death of old age. The Death of an Eagle There is nohing in life you cannot overcome when you stand as a Fire Eagle. I first noticed on the road. The rain had started to fall lightly. I, who had always welcomed each season and its corresponding weather patterns, felt the cold bite deeper than usual. My left hind leg cramped up in protest and I was forced to stop where I was, right in the middle of the track, with no shelter, until I could go on. A few days later when the rain stopped, I found a still puddle and gazed down into it. A pure silver face stared back at me. I knew then I had to return. There is no creatrue walking, flying or swimming who can approach me undetected, yet I had missed all the warning signs of old age creeping up on me. I had taken to hunting rabbits or smaller game, telling myself I had no wish to waste the meat a larger catch would yeild to a single canine. The truth was when I did try to chase an inexperienced young doe, she outpaced me within ten steps. Gone was the strange, swift gait that had named me. I had thought the rabbits in this part of the country were leaner and tougher than those I had been used to; but when I bared my teeth at my reflection, I saw to my shock all four fangs were worn down to less than half their old size. As it always did, Winter trailed in the wake of Autumn, sprinkling frosts to chill my paws in the morning, increasing the bite in the wind. The trouble in my left hind was quickly matched by the right, and the stiffness grew more intense and spread up form my ankles to my knees and finally to my hips. Heaving my lean frame onto all fours in the morning became a chore; even the rabbits had started to evade me now. I abandonded everything in me and set my goals on one thing: returning home. I was so close. The Plains had grown in my absence, expanded to seemingly three times their previous length. I hadn't realized my eyesight was fading until I stumbled without warning onto the loamy soil of the start of Eagle Forest, not having seen the towering old trees rising ahead of me. Familiar scents wafted along to meet me, greeting me like the sweetest of old friends. My hips gave out only a few steps into the trees, unable to carry me any further. I tried without sucess to lever myself up with my forepaws, but my claws too, had worn down to nothing and could gain no purchase. I sighed, and gave in to an overwhelming urge to close my eyes. "Dad, come quick!" I opened my eyes and saw an unfamiliar young Lupe bounding towards me. I coudln't make out any details until he was right in front of me. He had very, very familair aqua coloured fur with black fox markings and light blue eyes I know I'd seen before. His scent... and I'm ashamed to admit, I had to think about it - was that of Fox_E, though distant, and that was why the aqua colour was familiar. He was tall, although obviously young, and he lowered his muzzle to gently brush my shoulder. "It's ok, old Lupe, you'll be all right now." His voice couldn't have been called deep, but there was a distinct rumble to it that told me he was related to the giant Lupe Themis... and a relation of both Fox_E and Themis would have to mean he was a pup of their second litter, or perhaps a grandpup. "Hang in there, Dad's comming." The Lupe who came darting up through the trees looked nothing like the younger Lupe: he was more blocky, and his face shape was different, he hadn't the scent of a Fire Eagle, although I could smell the land on him. I was glad to see my pack had gone on without me, and that adoption still florished where it was needed. He peered at me carefully through lovely dark eyes, contrasting deeply from a metal-silver mask. "You don't look so well, Old One. Hang on, I'm sending Streamfox for help." He sat with me. I think I dozed between conciousness, but I know he sat beside me and offered kindly words of comfort. When the young aqua male returned their were two Lupes with him, a male and a female, a little younger than Streamfox's father. The female was lithe and dark and lovely, although like the male who sat with me I could tell by her scent she had not been born here. When I saw the male I thought my time had come. At once I saw my beloved brother standing before me, but with huge shining wings sprouting from each shoulder. Then he spoke, lowering his muzzle and touching my nose in the old gesture of respectful greeting. "It is an honor to meet you, Sir, and know how grateful I am for this chance. I can see you are tired, but if you could bear with us just a little while longer... it's very important." I saw him turn back to young Streamfox. Though I tried to do as he'd asked me, I felt my eyes closing again. I felt relief when I opened them again to the winged male's red and orange flamed face. "Awaken, Uncle." I struggled to get to my paws and the dark-eyed male assited me, proping me on his powerful shoulder so I could see the new arrivals better. I knew my son right away. There is never any way anyone would mistake Wolverine for another, there is just no presence like his. But what filled my heart with hope, regret, and joy were the young Lupes following him. First their was a tall deep mahogany girl, who's dainty paws left a wake of curling flame. Across her rich thick fur danced fire markings in orange and gold. She looked so much like her mother it made my heart ache. The next pup was clearly Wolverine's daughter. I just knew it, the way I knew the pass of the seasons. She stared at me through eyes so bright I could see the hope and promise shining through them. The last pup stretched her ivory neck out and politely sniffed towards me to catch me scent - and her eyes widened in amazement. I couldn't place her scent, which reminded me of old faces I would have known in the heartbeat had I not been so overhwlemingly tired, but she was a pretty young thing, with well-defined flames of red and blue. Wolverine stepped foward and gripped my paw. I felt the strength in him as powerful and unstoppable as ever. Reassurance flowed through me. I could see he wanted to speak, but I held up my free paw to stop him. I had saved all the strength I could muster and I could not wait long. "Son... I know you'll protect them. Can't... tellyou... how proud. All, ahaa, of you. There is nothing in life you cannot... overcome... you can overcome... when you stand as a... Fire Eagle." He was growing dim above me, but I was at peace now. It was time. I am deeply thankful. I am thankful for the glimpse at what my brother's beloved pack has become, at the new generation that will lead them into the future and all that awaits them. I thankful for being able to see my son one last time. The current picks me up then, gently, and I know this time when I close my eyes they will not again open, and I am graced by the sight of my pack below me. All of a sudden my vision is sharp and clear again, and I can see with more clarity than I ever had in my life. This is only the beginning. I see them as they are and as they will be. I see the famed Warrior Clan who fight for innocence and truth. I see the fabled Healer Tribe who are sought after in all the lands to give aid to loved ones. I see acts of unimaginable bravery and honor and sarifice. I see the hardships and how my pack rise together to face them. I see friendship and love blooming more numerous than the uncountable flowers alongside in The Plains. I see mothers with their pups, fathers giving hunting lessons, legacies forged and written into the long, long history of the pack I have been honored enough to witness the very birth of. "Brother!" A_E's voice is laughing and clear, and I see him leaping towards me. My hips no longer pain me. Instead, I rise as supple and strong as I used to be and lope towards his joyous grin. He tackles me as if we were pups, but before I can tell him anything, he holds up his paw to stop me, then indicates. I know now where I am... for now, Blazey steps lightly through the billowing cloud, her smile as deep and vibrant as ever. Joy rises in me and overflows into a thundering rapture - and I run to her. ''This is only the beginning... ''